2011–2014: EPs and Sleepify The band's first release was titled "Beastly". It was released in April 2011 as a
YouTube video. The track was noted by
No Treble, an online magazine for bass players, for its bass performance. The band released its first EP,
Mit Peck, in 2011 and a second EP,
Vollmilch, in 2012. In 2013, three band members backed
Darren Criss on his national tour, and Joe Dart was ranked as
No Treble's 5th-favorite bassist. Vulfpeck's first live performance was at the
Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, Michigan, followed by a performance in New York City at the
Rockwood Music Hall in October 2013. The band released its third EP,
My First Car, in August 2013. The EP features
Antwaun Stanley on the band's first vocal track. A review of
My First Car called it less energetic compared to the band's first two EPs but "still a fitting addition to a unique catalogue of music". In March 2014, Vulfpeck released
Sleepify, a ten-track silent album on
Spotify, in order to raise funds for an admission-free tour. The album generated $20,000 in royalties over a two-month period. Subsequently, Spotify removed the album stating it violated their terms of content. The band's royalty generation scheme received international press coverage. In July the band received the royalties and soon after announced the Sleepify Tour. In August 2014, the band released its fourth EP,
Fugue State. The EP's second track "1612" is styled after
Wardell Quezergue's works and features Antwaun Stanley on vocals. The admission-free Sleepify Tour took place in September 2014. Tour locations included San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Ann Arbor and New York City. In 2015, Stratton proposed a more equitable model for Spotify payout distribution in which each artist's payout is based solely on that artist's listeners, rather than every listener using the service.
2015–2019: Studio albums and Live at Madison Square Garden performing with Vulfpeck, 2017 Vulfpeck released
Thrill of the Arts in October 2015. The album featured contributions by several artists including
David T. Walker, Charles Jones and
Blake Mills.
Jim Fusilli of
The Wall Street Journal called the music "gritty, in-your-face, not-prettified funk played with fire" and a homage to old-school funk and soul. The album debuted at number 16 on the U.S.
R&B Albums chart. The band and Goodhertz Inc. released a production plug-in called Vulf Compressor. The band performed on
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in November 2015. Vulfpeck's second album
The Beautiful Game was released in October 2016. It featured contributions by several artists including
Cory Wong and
Adam Levy. This album includes the song, "Dean Town", which is based on and inspired by
Weather Report's 1977 song, "
Teen Town", especially the electric bass guitar line by
Jaco Pastorius as interpreted by Joe Dart. The album peaked at number 10 on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The band's third album,
Mr Finish Line, was released in November 2017. It featured veteran instrumentalists
James Gadson,
Bootsy Collins,
Michael Bland, David T. Walker, and vocalists
Coco O., Antwaun Stanley, Joey Dosik, Christine Hucal, and Charles Jones. In 2016 and 2017 the band performed regularly with Antwaun Stanley and guest artists including several shows with
Bernard Purdie and
Ziggy Modeliste. The band performed a cover of "
Boogie On Reggae Woman" on
SiriusXM radio. Vulfpeck's fourth album,
Hill Climber, was released in December 2018 and featured Cory Wong, Joey Dosik, Antwaun Stanley, Ryan Lerman,
Larry Goldings,
Mike Viola,
Monica Martin, and
Louis Cole. In 2019, the
Music Man guitar company introduced the Joe Dart Bass signature guitar, and subsequently the Joe Dart Jr., Joe Dart II and Joe Dart III bass guitars. Dart was ranked first by
Bass Guitar magazine as the coolest new bassist. In September 2019, the band headlined a sold-out concert at
Madison Square Garden, one of the first to do so without a manager or record label. Recording of the performance was released as a live album, titled
Live at Madison Square Garden, along with a full concert film. The live performance featured touring partners Stanley, Wong, Dosik, and guest artists Charles Jones,
Chris Thile,
Dave Koz,
Nate Smith, Mark Dover, Richie Rodriguez and others.
2020–present: Schvitz, Clarity of Cal and MSG II In October 2020, the band released a compilation album of new as well as previously released songs titled
The Joy of Music, the Job of Real Estate. The album's tenth track is a song by the New York-based band Earthquake Lights who won an auction to publish on the album. In November 2022, Vulfpeck announced their return to music (post coronavirus pandemic) by revealing their fifth album
Schvitz, which was released in December 2022. In an album review, Hunter-Tilney of
Financial Times called the music "retro-funk and soul" and wrote the band "aims to put a smile on the listener's face". The band resumed touring in 2023 with shows in the U.S. and Europe, including
Bonnaroo in 2023 and
Jazz à Vienne in 2024. In September 2024, Vulfpeck played six shows at the
UC Theatre in Berkeley and two shows at the
Palladium in Los Angeles. During these shows, the band recorded their sixth album titled
Clarity of Cal. The performances included Charles Jones on keyboards and
Jacob Jeffries on vocals and percussion. The album, along with its accompanying concert film, was released in March 2025. In September 2025, the band headlined their second concert at
Madison Square Garden which featured performances by veteran drummer
Bernard Purdie and singer-songwriter Evangeline. The performance was recorded and later released on the band's second live album, titled
MSG II, along with an accompanying concert film. == Style ==